The Dickson Prize in Science

Dr. Joseph Z. Dickson, a Pittsburgh physician, and his wife Agnes Fischer Dickson initiated trust funds in their wills for an annual prize to be shared equally by the scientific and medical fields.

Carnegie Mellon's Dickson Prize in Science is awarded annually to the person who has been judged by the university to have made the most progress in the scientific field in the United States for the year in question. At Carnegie Mellon, the field of science is interpreted to include the natural sciences, engineering, computer science or mathematics. The first Dickson Prize in Science was awarded in 1970.

Given each year by the University of Pittsburgh, The Dickson Prize in Medicine recognizes a person who has been judged by the university to have made the most progress in the medical field in the United States for the year in question.

It was the desire of Dr. and Mrs. Dickson to bring as much prestige and honor as possible to the two universities and to Pittsburgh with respect to the prizes. The recipients should be selected solely by representatives of the two universities. In both cases, the will specifies that the awards should not be made solely to a graduate or person from either institution. However, it is understood that anyone considered for the prize must have done the bulk of his or her work in the United States.